Advertising device.



E. B. SHANKS.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

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APPLICATION FILED JAN. 14,1913.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

2 SHEETS-BEEET 2 amen/01 Z day/(7Z7 51540149 COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0.,WASHINGTON, D. c,

i FFIQ- EDWARD B. SHANKS, 0F SPRINGWOOD, VIRGINIA.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

Application filed January 14, 1913. Serial No. 742,027.

To all whom, it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD B. SHANns, acitizen of the United States, residing at bpringwood, in the county ofBotetourt and State of Virginia, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Advertising Devices, of which the following is aspecification.

The invention relates generally to an improved time and sign advertiser,comprehending a construction in which the correct hour and minutes pastthe hour become automatically visible, changing each half minute, and ateach successive change of time indication a distinctive advertisement isdisplayed.

The main object of the present invention is the provision of a time andsign advertiser in which cards bearing the hours and minutes past thehour, with a card for each half minute period, are automatically andcorrectly operated to render visible the correct time, the minute cardbeing utilized for advertising purposes so that in the display of aparticular minute card the advertisement on the next succeeding minutecard will be in view.

A further object of the invention is the provision of trip means forcontrolling the release of the hour cards by the appropriate movement ofthe particular minute card, whereby to insure a proper operation of thehour and minute cards for time indication.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a structureinvolving few parts of simple construction with such parts par ticularlyarranged and correlated to accomplish a desired object.

The invention in its preferred form of details will be described in thefollowing specification, reference being had particularly to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of theimproved device. Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the mechanism. Fig.3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a detail elevationshowing the means to permit winding movement of the weight shaft. Fig. 5is a broken elevation of a detail illustrating the release of the timecard from their elevated position. Fig. 6 is a sectional view partly inelevation of one of the drums. Fig. is an elevation of the final limitcard.

Referring particularly to the accompanying drawings, the improved deviceoomprises a casing 1, which preferably through not necessarily is in theform of a stand or hall clock. The casing is arranged at the upper endto provide an enlarged head section 2 in which the operating parts arehoused, the relatively forward portion of the head section, as 3 beinghingedly connected to the main portion of such section at 4.- to affordaccess to the mechanism when desired. The face or forward surface of thehinged section 3 of the head constitutes the display surface and has thelower portion 5 thereof arranged approximately vertical and the upperportion 6 forwardly and upwardly inclined. The vertical portion of theface is formed with what may be termed an hour opening 7 in which thecards indicating the hour are displayed and with a second opening 8 inwhich the cards indicating the minutes are displayed, the inclinedsurface 6 being formed with an opening 9 in which is displayed a more orless permanently positioned sign plate appropriately labeled, as withHours and a second opening 10 to which the advertising surfaces of theminutes cards are displayed. The remaining portions of the face of thehinged section are closed by fixed plates 11 which may be inscribed withany appropriate or suitable data.

lVithin the head section is arranged a supporting frame 12 comprising ametallic strip having uprights 13, 1a, 15 and 16 rising therefrom inspaced relation, this frame supporting the operating mechanism of thedevice. Mounted in the uprights 1 1, 15 and 16 is a main shaft 17, onwhich between the uprights lt and 15 is mounted what will be hereinaftertermed the minute drum 18. This drum comprises a hollow cylindrical bodyhaving the ends 19 thereof of greater diameter than the similardimension of the drum to provide circumferential edge flanges 20. Inlongitudinally alined openings 21 in these flanges are loosely mountedrods 22 which between the flanges support minute cards 28. The minutecards, which are strictly speaking half minute cards, are one hundredand twenty in number and equally spaced circumferentially of the drum,each card bearing on one surface any desired type of advertising and onthe opposite surface the minute indicating insignia, the cards beingsuccessively and increasingly marked for half minute periods. The drumends 19 are centrally formed with appropriate bearing openings 24 towhich the drum may be secured upon the main shaft.

Secured between the uprights 13 and 14 and forwardly offset from themain shaft is an auxiliary shaft 25 which will be hereinafter termed thehour shaft. On this shaft is mounted a drum 26 having ends 27 in whichare mounted hour cards 28, the arrangement of the drum and the mountingof the cards being similar to that described in connection with theminute drum. Of course in the instance of the hour drum there are buttwelve hour cards, and each is suitable and successively inscribed toindicate the hour.

Secured to the uprights 13 and 1.5 is an overlying frame 29 including acomparatively narrow upper bar 30 which overlies and is spaced from therespective drums. Secured to the bar 30 immediately above each drum is aholding finger 31 comprising an L-shaped strip having one arm slotted torest upon and be adjustably secured to the bar 30 and a depending strip32 which lies in the path of the cards in their movement under theinfluence of the revolution of the respective drums.

From the details so far described it will be obvious that the drum inrotation will bring the cards into contact with the respective holdingfingers 31 so that upon a predetermined movement or position of the drumthe particular card will ride past the finger and gravitate to a loweredposition, the cards when held upright by the finger, that is the minutecard, displaying the advertisement on one face thereof through theopening 10 and when released by the finger and dropped to the loweredposition will display the minute indication on the opposite face thereofthrough the opening 8.

As the hour cards revolve comparatively slow, and one card only isreleased for the cotiperation with the release of one hundred and twentyminute cards, it is obvious that means must be provided for controllingthe accurate release of the hour cards to accord with the release of theminute cards. For this purpose I so time the device that a particularhour card will be released from the finger 31 overlying such card ashort time previous to the time required for its display, and combinedwith this operation a specially constructed trip including a U- shapedmember 33 having one arm formed to provide a hook 34 to rest in the pathof the hour card and receive the upper edge thereof immediatelysucceeding the release of the particular card from its finger 31 Theopposing arm 35 of the trip member depends alongside of the adjacentedge of the minute card and is outwardly and downwardly curved. One ofthe minute cards, hereinafter termed the final minute card, bears in theusual minute indicating space the word oclock, corresponding to sixtyminutes, and this card is provided on one edge with a projection 36which operates in the path of the arm 35 of the trip so that as thisfinal minute card gravitates to operative position it will actuate thetrip and release the particular hour card for simultaneous movement intodisplay position.

In the space 9 I arrange what may be termed a permanent card 37preferably a thin metallic plate which is visible at all times and maybe suitably inscribed as with the word Hours. This plate is movablysecured in place through rod like hangers 38 movably connected or hingedat their upper ends in the face plate 39 overlying the openings 9 and 10and weighted at 40 to normally hold the rod in contact with said plate.The permanent card 37 is arranged at an angle to the rods 38 so thatwhen in normal position the inclination of the card corresponds to thegeneral inclination of the upper surface of the display case of thesection 3. The permanent card is freely movable on the connectionsdescribed and is displaced or swung out of the way by each successivehour card so that the latter may gravitate to display position while thepermanent card returns to normal position as described.

The device is operated by suitable clock train mechanism including awinding shaft 41 mounted in the uprights 15 and 16 and carrying a drum42 upon which is wound a cord 43 carrying a weight 44. A gear 45 isloosely mounted upon the winding shaft and provided with a pawl 46 tocooperate with the ratchet 47 secured on one end of the drum to permit arewinding of the shaft through a key receiving projection 48 withoutoperating the train. The gear 45 meshes with the gear pinion 48 on themain shaft whereby to impart motion to the latter. A large gear 49 isfixed upon the main shaft immediately adjacent the minute drum andmeshes with a pinion 50 secured upon a stub shaft 51 mounted in theupright 15. A gear 52 is secured to and operating with the pinion 50 andoperatively meshes with a pinion 53 arranged on a shaft 54 suitablymounted below the minute drum, the end of the shaft remote from thepinion 53 having a beveled gear 55 meshing with a beveled gear 56arranged on an appropriately mounted stub shaft 57, said latter beveledgear having fixed thereto an ordinary escapement wheel 58 cooperatingwith an escapement 60 carried by the usual pendulum 61. The end of themain shaft adjacent the hour drum is provided with a pinion 62 meshingwith an appropriately mounted idler pinion 63 which latter in turnmeshes with a gear 64 secured on the hour drum shaft.

To provide for setting the cards in the event such becomes necessary Iarrange the pinion 53 on the shaft 54: to be held by frictionalengagement, and mounted upon said shaft a disk 65 held against the faceof the pinion by a spring 66. This insures a proper control of themovement of the gear train under the influence of the escapement and yetpermits an independent rotation of the pinion 53 with respect to theshaft 54 under a considerable power applied to one of the main wheels ofthe train, so that both drums may be revolved by hand when desiredwithout afi'ecting the escapement mechanism.

As shown and described it will be obvious that the device will at alltimes indicate the hour, minute and half minute of time and will at thesame time display above the minute indicating space an advertisement ofany appropriate type. The parts are of simple construction and there islittle liability of disarrangement in continued use. The automatic tripwill control the hour card so that they will be accurately displayed bythe movement of the final minute card and will be held againstpossibility of display until such movement.

Nhat is claimed is 1. A time and advertising display apparatus includinghour and minute drums, means for appropriately operating said drums,hour and minute cards carried by the respective drums, said minute cardsbearing advertising data on one face and minute indicating insignia onthe opposite face, said hour cards bearing hour indicating insignia onone face, means for holding the respective hour and minute cards inelevated position, and a permanent movably mounted card overlying thehour cards when in elevated position.

2. A casing, hour and minute drums rotatably mounted therein, saidcasing being formed with upper and lower display openings adjacent eachdrum, hour and minute cards mounted on the respective drums, the hourcards bearing hour indicating insignia on one face, the minute cardsbearing advertising data on one face and minute indicating insignia onthe opposite face, means for holding the minute cards in position todisplay the advertising data through the upper display opening adjacentthe minute drum, said drum operating the minute cards to withdraw themfrom said means to permit them to gravitate to display the minuteindicating insignia through the lower display opening, a permanent cardmovably mounted to be normally displayed through the upper displayopening adjacent the hour drum, and means for movably supporting thepermanent card to permit the hour cards to move said permanent cardbeyond their path during the gravical movement of the hour cards.

3. A casing hour and minute drums rotatably mounted therein, said casingbeing formed with upper and lower display openings adjacent each drum,hour and minute cards mounted on the respective drums, the hour cardsbearing hour indicating insignia on one face, the minute cards bearingadvertising data on one face and minute indicating insignia on theopposite face, means for holding the hour cards against gravitation todisplay position, said hour drum operating to withdraw the hour cardsfrom said means prior to the period at which they are to be released, atrip to receive the hour cards succeeding their release from said means,and means operated by a minute card to operate the trip to release theparticular hour card, means for holding the minute cards in position todisplay the ad vertising data through the upper display opening adjacentthe minute drum, said drum operating the minute cards to withdraw themfrom said means to permit them to gravitate to display the minuteindicating insignia through the lower display opening, a permanent cardmovably mounted to be normally displayed through the upper displayopening adjacent the hour drum, and means to hold the hour cards againstengagement with-said permanent card.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDl/VARD B. SHANKS.

Vitnesses:

DAVID lV. GOULD, BENNETT S. J onns.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patent Washington, D. C.

